1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of accomplishing a painted marbleized finish on an exposed wall or ceiling surface specifically through the use of one or more applicators each having a predetermined construction and configuration which enables both the application of a base coat and accent coat of paint in a prescribed manner and the blending of these contrastingly colored paints to accomplish the aforementioned marbleized appearance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Traditional marbleized faux finishes are accomplished utilizing the highly skilled and artistic decorative techniques in which the appearance of naturally occurring marble is accurately reproduced onto a surface such as a wall, ceiling, trim or the like. In the painting or decorating industry, a conventional "marblezing" process is known. Typically, such known techniques have been used to decorate interior surfaces that would otherwise be impossible to manufacture or install with marble because of the shape of the surface or the extreme expense of using natural material. Today, the marbleizing process is used not only because of its adaptability and cost effectiveness, but also because the colors of the marbled surface can be customized in order to aesthetically combine diverse elements of a particular design scheme.
Previously, known marbleizing techniques employed a skilled artisan's sense of color and shading to manipulate various types of paints, glazes, solvents and coloring agents. These mediums were applied to the surface with specifically designated and specialized brushes, sponges, feathers, rags or tissue paper. The traditional marbleized finish is a complex, multi-step process. It involves several applications of thinned, translucent paints, called glazes, applied on top of a base coat of an opaque oil base enamel. The glazes are applied to the base coat and then gently rubbed and mottled with the various brushes, rags or sponges until some or all of the glaze has been removed from various areas of the surface. The desired affect is a lightly shaded and uneven finish that allows some of the color of the previous coat to show through the outercoating layers. As each successive layer of glaze is applied, parts of the most recent glaze coat and each of the previous glaze coats are visible. The "veins" characterizing natural marble are added with the help of brushes or feathers. These are applied to resemble the natural spontaneously curving configuration of real marble veins. Finally, due to the fragile nature of the glazes, several coats of clear gloss varnish are applied over the entire surface to protect it and add additional depth of color.
The general concept is one of layered coats that due to their translucency provide a depth of color and shading that, if applied artistically, will closely resemble naturally occurring marble. The traditional marbleizing process requires trained artistic manipulation of colors. Extensive experience in the various types of paint mediums and solvents along with the use of specialized application tools is also a necessity.